The
Sewellel has a thick, heavy body with short limbs.
Body length is 33-47 cm. All of the limbs have 5 digits and
those of the forefeet are fairly long since they are used
for digging and grasping. It resembles a
muskrat although it has no tail. The fur is short and dense
with uniformly grayish or reddish brown coloring speckled
with black. It has prehensile hands and feet.

It is most commonly found at lower elevations in forests and
dense vegetation near waterways. Sewellels dig long
burrows that are close to the surface which serve as shelter
and a place to store food. It eats almost any plant material
and drink large amounts of water.

They live alone or in loose colonies. It has a
single yearly litter of 2-6 young.

They
are found on the W coast of North America from SW British
Columbia (Canada) to N California (USA), isolated populations
in N and C California, extending into W Nevada.